--- title: "DBA Registration Rules Open Dataset (CSV, JSON) | MCC" description: "Where a DBA or trade name is filed in each state and DC, the filing fee, how long it lasts, newspaper publication rules and online filing, as free CSV and JSON." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/dba" --- Open data · CC BY 4.0 # DBA registration rules by state: open dataset DBA (assumed business name) registration by state for 51 jurisdictions as a documented CSV and JSON file, free to reuse with a credit link. Sources checked November 2026. - **51**jurisdictions - **25**fields - **November 2026**sources checked - **434**confirmed values - **100**unconfirmed items [Download CSV](/data/dba.csv)[Download JSON](/data/dba.json) **Need it always current?** [API from $19/mo](/data/api): the same data as JSON with an API key, change notices and a commercial-use license. The CSV and JSON downloads stay free. Readable version: [DBA (assumed business name) registration by state, explained state by state](/bookkeeping/dba-registration-by-state). All site datasets: [open data](/data/open) · [data roundups](/data/). ## What this dataset covers What each state calls a DBA, whether it is filed with the state or the county, the filing fee, how long a registration lasts before renewal, whether it must be published in a newspaper and whether it can be filed online. Most often unconfirmed in this release: `publication` (35), `online` (31), `duration` (13), `county_fees_vary` (11), `fee` (7). 25 jurisdictions have their own page on the site (AZ, CA, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, KY, MI, MN, NC, NE, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV); their rows also carry the explanatory text and all sources shown there. ## Field dictionary | Field | Meaning | Type | In this release | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `jurisdiction_code` | Two-letter postal code of the state or DC. | string | 51 of 51 filled | | `jurisdiction` | State name (or District of Columbia). | string | 51 of 51 filled | | `called` | What the state calls an assumed or fictitious business name. | string | 49 of 51 filled | | `where.level` | Where it is filed: state, county or both. | string (code) | 50 of 51 filled: state (30), both (12), county (4), local (3), none (1) | | `where.differs` | Whether the filing office differs by type of business. | boolean | 28 of 51 filled: false (18), true (10) | | `where.text` | Where to file, in plain English. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 25 of 51 filled | | `fee.amount` | Filing fee. | number (US dollars) | 36 of 51 filled; $5 to $150 | | `fee.text` | Detail on the fee. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 25 of 51 filled | | `county_fees_vary` | Whether county fees vary (true, false, or a code such as n/a). | string (code) | 40 of 51 filled: n/a (29), true (7), false (4) | | `duration.rule.kind` | Machine-readable type of the expiry rule. | string (code) | 38 of 51 filled: years (23), none (7), text (4), dec31 (2), month_after_anniv (1) | | `duration.rule.n` | Number of years a registration lasts, when fixed. | integer | 27 of 51 filled; 1 to 10 | | `duration.text` | How long a registration lasts, in plain English. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 21 of 51 filled | | `duration.entity.text` | Different duration for a corporation or LLC. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 5 of 51 filled | | `publication.required` | Whether the name must be published in a newspaper. | boolean | 16 of 51 filled: false (9), true (7) | | `publication.applies` | Who the publication rule applies to. | string (code) | 16 of 51 filled: all (13), sole (2), individual_listed (1) | | `publication.text` | Detail on the publication rule. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 15 of 51 filled | | `online.available` | Whether online filing is available. | string (code) | 20 of 51 filled: true (17), some (3) | | `online.url` | Online filing link. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (URL) | 5 of 51 filled | | `online.text` | Detail on online filing. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 13 of 51 filled | | `notes` | Other points from the official source. Present only for jurisdictions that have their own page on the site. | string (free text) | 5 of 51 filled | | `unconfirmed` | Fields the official sources read did not confirm for this row. Those values are null. | array of strings | 44 of 51 rows list at least one | | `source_urls` | Links to the sources (all of them for jurisdictions with their own page; the main linked source for the others). | array of strings | 51 of 51 filled | | `source_kinds` | What each link in source_urls is, in the same order: "official" (a government page: state agency, legislature, court, county or city) or "secondary" (a vetted secondary source, used only where no official page could be read: Cornell LII, Justia (statute text only), FindLaw Codes, Casetext, NCSL, the Uniform Law Commission, the American Bar Association and state bar associations, legal aid networks (LawHelp.org and the state legal help sites), Nolo, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Center for State Courts, the Eviction Lab, the Tax Foundation, the Sales Tax Institute, the American Payroll Association, SHRM, ADP, Paychex, Bloomberg Tax, Thomson Reuters, Avalara and Sovos). A fact backed only by a secondary source is shown on the site as " (secondary source)". | array of strings | 51 of 51 filled | | `checked` | When the row's sources were opened (YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD). A row with no official source carries the date of the check that found none. | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 51 of 51 filled | | `page_url` | The page on mcc-solutionsnj.com that explains this row. | string (URL) | 51 of 51 filled | ## Preview: the first 10 rows | `jurisdiction` | `called` | `where.level` | `fee.amount` | `duration.rule.n` | `publication.required` | `checked` | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Alabama | trade name | state | 30 | 5 | null | 2026-11 | | Alaska | business name registration | state | null | 5 | null | 2026-11 | | Arizona | trade name | state | 10 | 5 | false | 2026-11 | | Arkansas | fictitious name | both | 25 | null | null | 2026-11 | | California | fictitious business name (FBN) statement | county | null | 5 | true | 2026-11 | | Colorado | trade name (Statement of Trade Name) | state | null | 1 | null | 2026-11 | | Connecticut | trade name certificate | local | null | null | null | 2026-11 | | Delaware | trade name | state | 25 | null | null | 2026-11 | | District of Columbia | trade name | state | 55 | 2 | null | 2026-11 | | Florida | fictitious name | state | 50 | 5 | true | 2026-11 | 7 of 25 columns shown; the downloads have every column in full. ## Download formats The CSV has one row per jurisdiction and one column per field above, UTF-8, comma-separated. Nested fields use dotted names (`where.level`); lists are joined with ` | `, and lists of objects become `key: value; key: value` items. The JSON keeps types (numbers, true/false, null, arrays) and includes this dictionary, the license and the checked date. ## License **License:** free to copy, share and adapt, including commercially, under the [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license. Attribution required: credit "MCC Solutions" and link to this dataset page (https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/dba). The cite box below has text ready to paste. Need bulk access with update notices? See the [business data license](/data/business-license). ## Accuracy **Accuracy:** every fact comes from an official government page as it read when checked (November 2026 for this release). Anything those pages did not confirm is null and named in the row's `unconfirmed` list; a null that is not on the list means the point does not apply or the source states none. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. ## Cite this data APA style HTML link Free to reuse under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): credit MCC Solutions and link to [https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/dba](/data/dba). ## Changelog - **November 2026**: sources checked for all 51 jurisdictions; this release has 25 fields, 434 confirmed values and 100 unconfirmed items. - Downloads are generated from the data files on each request, so a corrected file shows up in the CSV and JSON straight away; a new entry is added here when the sources are checked again. ## Need a notary? Send it to the desk. [Book Now](/notary/#order)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)